VINTAGE....Greatest and Worst?

WINE TALK
21

Easy, my birthyear. 1965

Ugh.

22

Fine vintage in Germany as well.

23

1973: excellent white Burgundies, not bad Southern Rhones and great Champagne …

It´s simply impossible to compare Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Italy, US, Australia, South Africa - dry whites, sweet wines, reds, sparkling … in terms of vintage quality globally …
… and in each vintage there are still wines that are definitely better that products from bad producers in the so called great vintages …

24

Worst vintage - 1972 which is also my birth year.

25

decent red Burgs in 72.

26

1956 without a doubt -

'72 was actually a sleeper vintage in Burgundy - have had many great bottles…

27

With the few varieties we buy (Cab, Burgundy, Riesling, and Vouvray), it’s usually a safe bet that 1995, 2001, and 2002 are going to be very good to excellent bottles that we’ll enjoy.

I’ll vote 2011 as the worst vintage, mainly so those go on the clearance rack soon. [wink.gif] [whistle.gif]

28

Worth a gamble on Piemontese nebbiolo based wines - Fontanafredda’s Barolo is well regarded in Italy and goes for good money.

29

Curious why you say 88? There are lots of really good 88 Bordeaux, Rhone, Burgundy and many other places.

My all-around favorite would be 1985.

30

I’m with Alan and David: 1956 is the all-time worst (and my birth year). I wish I had access to Parker’s description of the bdx vintage. Nauseating.

31

I have a Charles Krug which I will be opening next year for my 60th. I am told it is quite good.

32

Best: 1945
Worst: I am told that 1956 was worse than 1951, but my research reveals that my birth year (51) was the worst.

33

Best: 1985
Worst: 1965

34

2010? Isn’t it a little soon to declare it to be the best vintage of all time. Maybe it will prove to be the best vintage between 2009 and 2011. But I’m going to wait and see.

1983 as the worst? Pretty solid in many places other than California.

35

It is still early, but 2010 was pretty darn good everywhere. Worst has got to be my birthyear - 1984.

36

Yep, got quite a few bottles of Riesling and Burgundy from '83 that are spectacular. [cheers.gif]

37

I think it’s far to soon whether the best 2010s are as good as the best wines from older vintages that have proven themselves - i.e. will 2010 Burgundy or Bordeaux be as good as 1990 or 1966 or whatever.

But it is hard to think of another vintage that was consider very good to exceptional in almost every major wine region. What wine regions in the whole world weren’t good or great in 2010? Maybe German / Austrian rielsing to some extent? Maybe Portugal? 2010 was considered a great or classic vintage in Burgundy, Bordeaux, California (pretty much all major categories), Piedmont, Tuscany, Spain, Loire, Rhone, Australia, Argentina.

So at this early point, 2010 is pretty hard to beat as far as breadth. Too soon to say as far as amplitude.

38

2013 is the best
2011 worst.

We all know this.

39

Worst 1969-still can’t forget the half bottle a of ducru a somm at a famous NYC restaurant palmed off on me when I was a newbie. Best

  • 1985, not much discussed, but never had a bad bottle of either Bordeaux or Red Burg from this year.
40

1956 doesn’t seem to have elicited any objections as worst, has it?

1957 isn’t much better, so far as I know, though Claude Kolm was kind enough to buy me a Cappellano Barolo '57 for my 50th that was quite decent. (Did someone tell me '57 was OK for Port?)